The world of modern photography has long sustained a slow but widespread affliction with mirrorless cameras, especially since they offer a much-needed release valve for users who bay for the high-end features of a DSLR but want the small size of a compact camera.
Rumors about Fujifilm's medium-format mirrorless camera surfaced as early as June, with ample speculation that it will follow Hasselblad's X1D, the first-ever medium-format mirrorless camera in the world.
You can scratch this one off the rumors roster. Fujifilm has taken a huge leap forward in its mirrorless effort by announcing the GFX 50S, the first camera to come with Fujifilm's G Format sensor, which it fully customized and designed.
The sensor has a massive 51.4 megapixels, measuring at 43.8 mm by 32.9 mm. It is 70 percent larger than conventional 35 mm full-frame sensors, giving way to images with stellar quality. The GFX 50S skips past its competition with Sony, opting directly for the medium format instead of the full frame.
Fujifilm says that the new sensor "delivers superior sharpness and image quality that will satisfy professional photographers shooting commercial, fashion or fine-art landscapes." Despite the camera's native 4:3 ratio, its 51.4 megapixels can warrant experimentation with various ratios since there's enough wiggle room to do so without losing quality. Fujifilm headlined its "GFX" mirrorless camera system as "Medium format reinvented."
The design is aesthetically similar to Fujifilm's X series cameras, chock full of dials and buttons that are extremely reminiscent of old mechanical film cameras, giving off a nice vintage vibe. At 800 grams, or about 1.76 pounds, the GFX 50S body weighs lighter than most DSLR cameras.
Additionally, the camera comes with a detachable electronic viewfinder. Fujifilm noted that an optional adapter will also be released that will expand the range of the viewfinder, allowing for dynamic shooting angles.
The GFX 50S uses a new large-diameter G Mount and comes with six interchangeable lenses under the new Fujinon GF series that support the G mount. The initial lineup of lenses are as follows:
• Standard prime - 63 mm f/2.8
• Wide-angle standard zoom - 32-64 mm f/4
• Mid-telephoto macro - 12 mm f/4
• Fast aperture mid-telephoto - 110 mm f/2
• Ultra wide - 23 mm f/4
• Wide - 45 mm f/2
The lenses will also borrow a feature from the X series called the aperture ring that now comes with a new C position to adjust the aperture using the command dial on the body.
Fujifilm didn't stop there. Fans of Fujifilm's X-Pro 2 would be pleased to know that the GFX 50S will use the same X-Processor Pro imaging processor, a dual core ARM Cortex A7-cpu running at 500 Mhz.
The pricing of the GFX 50S and the lenses are yet to be announced, but Fujifilm said they will be available in early 2017 and hopes for it to cost less than $10,000.
